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By Jalon Dixon
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The Milwaukee Bucks’ long-standing interest in Zach LaVine just hit another snag. As Sacramento continues to slide, the guard many around the league have linked to Milwaukee is now sidelined with a fresh injury and it complicates an already messy trade picture.
The Sacramento Kings have lost seven of their last eight games and three straight overall. Now, they will be without another starter. Zach LaVine exited Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves early after suffering a moderate left ankle sprain. The team announced he will be re-evaluated in a week, sidelining him for at least Sacramento’s next three games, including two against Portland and one versus Houston.
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LaVine joins Domantas Sabonis on the injury report. Sabonis has already missed 12 straight games with a partial meniscus tear, and his return timeline remains unclear. With two core starters unavailable, Sacramento’s short-term outlook and its long-term direction continue to darken.
For Milwaukee, that uncertainty cuts both ways. On the surface, the Kings’ struggles point toward a potential teardown. LaVine, in his first full season with Sacramento after arriving from Chicago at last year’s trade deadline, has once again surfaced as a possible trade candidate. The Bucks have shown interest in him in the past, and that hasn’t changed.
According to The Athletic’s SamAmick, Milwaukee has "done recent due diligence” on the 30-year-old guard. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto also reported earlier this season that the Bucks conducted background work on LaVine, signaling continued curiosity about his fit alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. The problem is both availability and cost.
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Before the injury, LaVine was averaging just over 20 points per game while shooting efficiently from the field and from three. He remains a high-level offensive weapon, capable of creating shots and stretching defenses. But his massive contract looms large. LaVine carries a $47.5 million cap hit this season and holds a player option worth nearly $49 million for 2026-27. Moving that deal without attaching draft assets is widely viewed as unrealistic.
Now add an ankle injury into the equation, and the Bucks’ calculus becomes even tougher. Milwaukee needs a reliable difference-maker to climb the Eastern Conference standings, not another gamble.
LaVine’s name isn’t going away. But for now, this latest setback is bad news for a Bucks team searching for answers ahead of the trade deadline.
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